Taming the Lion
by ninjathiefprincess
Summary: At Balamb Garden, Yuffie and Squall go out to enjoy the outdoors. While outside of the military school, Squall comes to terms with his newfound feelings for the ninja. Squall/Yuffie.


A/N: Sorry if this seems kind of rushed. I wrote this in a little over 2 hours really late at night when I should have been doing homework, haha. I really wanted to write a Yuffie/Squall because it's so adorbs. In many ways, this pairing is a lot like Yuffentine. You know, Yuffie sticking by his side and being the only one to break through his icy barrier with her constant cheerfulness. I want to write more about this particular pairing, maybe a backstory to go along with this one or more oneshots. After I get all my work done, ugh. ANyway, hope you enjoy! ^^

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot.

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It was a beautiful sunny day, the skies cloudless and a lively blue color. The weather beckoned for everyone to come and enjoy the outdoors, and that was exactly what Squall and Yuffie did, though it was the little ninja who dragged the quiet youth out of the school.

"Come on, let's go out and play!" she begged him. She had found him in the training arena. "You're always in here training. Take a break, man!"

He sighed and ran a gloved hand through his chestnut hair, a slightly irritated look on his countenance. However, that did not perturb the young girl, and she continued to pester him. He knew how persistent she could be when she wanted something, so he decided to let her have her way. It was easier than having to fight against her and listen to her jabbering all day. Another sigh escaped his lips as he wordlessly holstered his gunblade and exited the arena with Yuffie skipping joyously behind him.

"Yay!" she shouted as they went outside into the grassy fields beyond the school's boundaries.

She ran ahead and frolicked among a small patch of snowy white flowers while Squall merely stood at the edge and watched the girl. Her cheerful laughter filled the air, and Squall couldn't help but feel her infectious happiness pierce his icy wall of defense.

A gruff and slightly strangled-sounding noise reached his ears, and he flinched, suddenly alert. After a split second, he realized that the sound had come from… him. He suddenly realized that he had just laughed, and it was so uncharacteristic of him that he had not recognized what the sound was. His eyes slightly widened in wonder, still focused on the ninja running around, so carefree and full of life. This girl, this strange ninja thief who had one day wandered into Balamb Garden without a clue as to where she was, had elicited this foreign emotion from him. He pondered for a moment and decided that it wasn't something he disliked. It actually felt… pleasant.

Squall was so used to being cold and aloof, never bothering to form bonds with anyone other than professional ones. Then all of a sudden a young ninaj appeared and flipped his world upside down. She stuck to his side, always filling his normally silent days with her nonstop chatter. He did not know why she chose him to befriend, of all people. He knew he was unsocial and not particularly friendly. At first, she annoyed him, but as time progressed, he became accustomed to her presence. He soon found himself actually enjoying her company.

Deep down in his heart, he knew that he was just a lonely soul desperately wanting love and friendship like everyone else. However, he was afraid to get close to anyone, afraid that he would lose that bond and be left alone again. All his life, he had never known affection or love. An orphan since he was just a small child, he knew no parental love. All the other children stayed away from him, calling him the weird kid who never talked to anyone. As he became older and entered Balamb Garden to train to become a member of SeeD, he learned to lock away his feelings and focus solely on his studies and missions, denying himself the luxury of friendships. He had believed that friends were useless; everyone would abandon him sometime sooner or later, just like his parents did so long ago.

Now, as he gazed upon the beautiful scenery accentuated with the presence of a certain ninja, he felt the icy walls around his heart begin to melt. Only Yuffie had not been deterred by his cold attitude. Everyone else left him alone, treating him like the loner he made himself out to be. No matter what he did, the ninja always returned to his side. It confused him at first, but he gradually learned to accept it as one of the mysteries of life. How she could bear to constantly be around someone as quiet and boring as him he would never know.

"Squall!" Yuffie's voice called out, shaking the lonely young man out of his reverie.

His steely grey eyes flicked across the flower patch to gaze upon her lean figure. Her face was flushed a pretty pink, and a large smile was plastered on her cute face. Suddenly, a slight shock ran through the young man's body. Had he just thought of her as… _cute?_ His brows furrowed as he tried to process the novel thought. However, before he could do so, Yuffie ran over and grabbed his arm and tugged, pulling him toward the flowers with her.

"What are you doing standing all there by yourself?" she inquired with a lilt. She giggled and turned to face him, pulling him toward her so that he stared down into her glowing face, their bodies less than a foot apart. Steely orbs met stormy ones, and as he gazed into her eyes, he felt a strange falling sensation, as if her eyes were sucking him in. He shook his head and gathered his thoughts, breaking his gaze with her hypnotic eyes. He averted his eyes to a spot slightly above her head, suddenly uncomfortable with having the girl so close to him.

Without warning, Yuffie slid her arms around his waist and embraced him, burying her face in his chest. The action startled the sable-haired youth, and for a moment, he felt his heart leap almost painfully inside his chest.

"W…what..?" he tried to enunciate, the words stuck in his throat.

He was so surprised that he didn't even think to push her away. Physical contact was not something he engaged in, besides a simple handshake, and he felt awkward having the raven-haired girl wrapped around his middle. However… it wasn't unpleasant. Deep in the recesses of his mind, a part of him was actually enjoying it. His brow furrowed, once again confused by the mysterious ninja girl.

He glanced down to meet her stormy hues when she raised her head, her arms still firmly attached to his waist. She revealed a lovely smile, and he felt his heart stop. That single smile conveyed so much emotion, so much affection, and it was all directed at him. When Squall's heart restarted, it picked up a new pace, stronger and faster than before. Suddenly a shyness fell upon the youth, and he felt heat rise to his face. He turned his head to the side, hoping the ninja would not notice the change.

Focusing his gaze upon a patch of flowers, a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts assaulted his mind. What was going on? What was happening to him? Why was he feeling this way? Why was it now, and why Yuffie? He wasn't sure. Never had he felt such emotions, and it frightened him. Deep in his mind, he knew that he held an affection for the ninja. He was just afraid of admitting it, especially to himself.

For so many years, for most of his life, the quiet youth had forsaken love, simply regarding it as a source of unwanted and unneeded pain. But now… a girl with short hair and happy-go-lucky attitude had somehow wormed her way into his heart, slowly melting him from the inside with her fiery spirit. In all honesty, he admired her spunky attitude and the way she always managed to keep a smile on her face no matter what happened. He secretly wished he could be open like her, but he had never known how to be like that. Though he still behaved like he same cold person he had always been, he knew that he was not the same person before he met Yuffie. Her constantly optimistic outlook on life sparked a part of him that had lain dormant and unknown. He found himself being drawn to her like a moth to fire. He was the ugly and boring moth while she was the bright fire, hypnotizing everyone with her beauty and liveliness. He wanted that life, the amazing way she seemed to flutter about with ease while he stayed rooted to one spot in the icy cage he had trapped himself in.

"Squall," Yuffie drawled, her voice once again breaking through his thoughts. His head snapped back to face her, still in the same spot as before, her slender arms still locked around him. "Gosh, you keep spacing out! Am I that boring?" She made puppy eyes at him, pretending to be hurt by his lack of attention.

Squall felt a stab in his heart when he saw her expression, and he stared into her stormy eyes, suddenly finding himself inexplicably drawn toward her more… and more… until he snapped out of his trance to realize their faces were merely inches apart. He noticed the surprised look on the young ninja's face, and he let out a soft gasp. What was he doing? He felt his chest constrict painfully, and before he could move away and apologize, he felt something soft and warm touch his lips. He immediately leaned into the softness, and only a split second passed before he realized that it was her lips that were touching his. His eyes widened in shock, but he found that he could not tear himself away. He was afraid yet joyous at the same time. His mind was screaming at him to stop yet singing in praise at the same time. His heart was pounding furiously. He had never felt such tumultuous emotions before. He willed for the storm to abate, and surprisingly it did. An odd peace fell upon him, and he felt himself calm down. The mental struggle over, he focused on the kiss, feeling the ninja's love and affection through her gentle lips. Without having to think, he found himself responding to her, his hands sliding to the small of her back to hold her to his body, his lips pressing firmly against hers. He was unwilling to stop, not wanting the wonderful feelings to end. Her lips… so soft… so loving…

After what seemed like ages, the pair broke apart, and they rested their foreheads against one another. His eyes captured her gaze, and he saw her cheeks flush a lovely red while she revealed a shy yet coy smile. Seeing this new side of her, he felt his heart flutter in his chest, and a blush colored his face. Without a word, he drew the girl into a warm embrace and nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek. He inhaled the flowery scent of her hair and let out a contented sigh. Never had he felt so at peace, and it was all thanks to the ninja girl in his arms. With that single kiss, he had finally come to terms with his feelings. He knew now that he cared for her, something he never felt about anyone else before. Yuffie was his ninja, the sneaky little thief who had managed to steal his heart while no one else could do so. Yes, he was still a bit afraid about letting himself become attached to another person, but with her, he felt that he could give it a try. She was different from everyone else, and he felt that he could trust her. He was also excited about this new development. On the inside, he was elated to have someone to love him and to love back. He had always been alone, but now no more.

Yuffie leaned up on her toes and whispered in his ear, "Hey Squall. You know what? I like you."

The young man shivered, and he felt his heart soar, finally free from its icy cage. He felt new life surge into him with her words, and he simply tightened his arms around the girl, conveying his emotions through the gesture since he was never good with words.

He leaned down and whispered back, "Me too."

She giggled and hugged him back tightly, burrowing her face into his neck. She sighed, her breath tickling his skin. "I'm glad you do," she murmured.

Squall smiled. He had found new meaning in his life, and he was already feeling the changes. No longer will he be the cold and emotionless youth, not when Yuffie was his source of life and warmth. No, he will learn to love and open himself to others. Silently breaking away, he slid a hand down her arm to take hold of her hand and squeeze it affectionately. Now that they had revealed their feelings for one another, he couldn't stop smiling. He thought about how his classmates would react to his new self, and a low chuckle rumbled in his throat. He shook his head and gently led the ninja farther out into the fields away from the school and prying eyes. He wanted to share this day only with her and no one else. He will deal with other people another time.

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER IF YOU DO!


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